


A Little Help

by Bling_Bling_Is_Jonghyun



Category: Stray Kids (Band)
Genre: Chan is a total sweetheart, Felix is a soft boy, M/M, Puppy!Felix, Referenced Lee Minho | Lee Know/Kim Woojin, protect him
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-15
Updated: 2019-03-15
Packaged: 2019-11-18 15:35:57
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,018
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18123173
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bling_Bling_Is_Jonghyun/pseuds/Bling_Bling_Is_Jonghyun
Summary: A little dog had begun to show up at Chan's patio door every night, same time. It was like clockwork. Chan always gave him some food and water and, most importantly, attention and affection. Chan liked the little puppy, always having wanted a dog for himself.One night, it begins to storm, which is unusual for that area. And right at that time, the puppy shows up, off schedule. Chan takes pity on the poor thing and lets him sleep in the garage. But Chan finds an unexpected surprise waiting for him in the garage when he goes to check on him in the morning.Instead of a puppy, he finds a boy.





	A Little Help

“Thanks again, hyung!” Minho said, heading back to the car where Woojin was waiting. 

 

“No problem! I would have helped you anyway,” Chan said. “See you soon!” He closed the door, locking it with a  _ click _ . He had spent the whole day helping Minho move in with his fiance Woojin. It was a spur of the moment thing, but he was glad to help. Chan was also glad to be home, ready to relax. 

 

Chan turned on the lamp next to his favourite chair, plopping down with a long sigh. He turned on the TV, changing the channel just in time to catch the newest episode of a drama he had recently gotten into. Thunder clapped outside, signalling a close storm. It hadn’t stormed here in months, so this was very unpleasant. Chan always had mixed feelings about the rain. It may make outside smell nice and it produces a calming sound, but it makes a mess outside and then you have to worry about tracking mud in afterwards. At least it wasn’t snowing. He sighed, grabbing the remote to raise the volume of the TV. Just as he did, though, he heard a familiar scratching noise coming from his back patio doors. Chan smiled a little, getting up and going to the door to check.

 

Sure enough, a little brown dog was sitting under the overhanging roof of his patio, shielding himself from the rain. Chan stood at the door, cocking his head and looking down at the dog, a smile on his face. As he did, the dog also cocked his head, wagging his tail and looking up at him. 

 

“You must like it here, huh?” Chan said to the dog. The dog stood up now, circling and giving a small bark. 

 

“Wait right here, I’ll be back,” Chan said. He went upstairs, grabbing a bunch of towels, going to his garage and setting up a little bed for the dog. He had a fairly large garage and only one car, so there was plenty of space. He smiled at his work, thinking of the dog practically smiling at the setup. He started showing up at Chan’s door about a month ago, and ever since Chan had given the dog some food and shown him some kindness, he came back regularly, coming to Chan’s door every night at the same time. It was like clockwork. Chan didn’t mind, though. He had always wanted a dog, but could never afford one. He could afford to take care of one, it was the paperwork and the ‘pay for the animal’ part of it that was always expensive. This dog didn’t have a collar or tags or anything, no chip, nothing. Chan had assumed that he was a stray, and took pity on him. 

 

Chan quickly went to his kitchen, grabbing two bowls. He filled one with water, the other with some warmed up leftovers he found in his fridge that he figured was safe to give to a dog. He didn’t have dog food, so he just looked for whatever he saw would have been good for him. Chan put the bowls in the garage, closing the garage door. It was pouring rain now.

 

Chan came back to the door, and the dog was still waiting. The dog looked at him curiously, and Chan smiled, sliding the door open. The dog looked at Chan and to the door, then slowly came in, sniffing everything around him as he did. 

 

“Come here, boy,” Chan said, crouching down and walking back to the staircase leading to the second floor. “Let’s try to get you a bath and then you can rest up.”

 

The dog gave a happy little bark, trotting over and following Chan. Chan smiled, leading him up to the bathroom. The dog jumped into the bathtub without hesitating, looking up at Chan and wagging his tail. Chan pulled out his phone, checking to see if the body wash he had was safe to use on dogs, relieved to find that it was.

 

Throughout the entire bath, to Chan’s surprise, the dog just sat there and let Chan work. Didn’t try to jump out, didn’t try to move around and mess with stuff, nothing. He seemed to have enjoyed the bath, even let Chan towel dry him.

 

“Follow me, buddy. Let’s go get you settled in,” Chan said, smiling. The dog yipped happily in response. Chan had no doubt that if the dog had the ability to, he would be smiling.

 

The dog trotted alongside Chan, keeping close as they went downstairs and to the garage. The dog seemed really at home in the garage. He sniffed around curiously, examining practically every object within reach of him. Chan smiled and sat on the last of the three stairs by the door, watching him with a fond smile on his face. After a few moments, the dog turned back, nosed around in the bed of towels Chan had assembled, and plopped down in it, wagging his tail and looking at Chan. 

 

Chan laughed a little. “I’m glad you like it,” he said, talking as if the dog could really understand him. Chan walked over and pointed to the bowls of food and water adjacent to the ‘bed’. “This is your food and water, so uh… yeah. Just sit tight and I’ll come to check on you in the morning, buddy.” Chan pet the dog, scratching behind his ears and rubbing his belly before standing up and going back inside, shutting the door behind him. He left the light on in the garage, just in case. 

 

Exhaust and fatigue from the day’s activities had finally caught up with Chan, and he decided to just catch the new episode of his show tomorrow in the reruns, choosing instead to go up and go to sleep. His head had barely hit the pillow before he was asleep.

  
  


~~~~~~~~~

  
  


The sunlight streaming into Chan’s bedroom was bright. Too bright for his liking. He groaned, flipping over and tugging the blankets over his head before just deciding to get up. He looked over on his desk, reading the clock. 6:27 A.M. Chan pulled the blankets back, sitting up and groggily rubbing his eyes before padding down to the kitchen to make himself some breakfast. He looked around, eyes landing on the garage door and he froze, remembering all that happened last night. Chan smiled, making his way over to the door and opening it, ready to let the dog in his house. His smile quickly faded, though.

 

He couldn’t believe what he was seeing. He  _ did _ let a  _ dog  _ in last night… right?

 

Then why was there a boy laying in the mess of towels instead?

 

Chan cocked his head to the side, trying to make sense of the sight in front of him. What happened to the dog? Where did this boy come from? Who was he?

 

The boy stirred, sitting up and rubbing his eyes. He smiled a little bit, looking around and surveying his surroundings. His smile quickly fell though, as his eyes landed on Chan standing in the doorway, happy expression quickly transforming one into one of fear and anxiety.

 

“I- O-Oh no…” The boy said, stuttering a bit. His shoulders started moving more, indicating that his breathing was picking up. “I-I’m s-so sorry.” The boy had a very deep voice.

 

Chan centred himself, seeing how afraid the boy was and choosing to comfort him instead. He walked over to him, sitting in front of him. He noticed that the boy had a striking resemblance to the dog he sheltered last night. The boy withdrew, scooting away a little bit as Chan sat in front of him.

 

“Hey, it’s alright, don’t worry. I’m here to help you,” Chan said, keeping his voice soft. The boy was still visibly frightened but softened a little as Chan spoke. “Firstly, let’s get you dressed.”

 

The boy looked at Chan curiously but stood up. Chan was relieved a little bit. The boy didn’t seem hesitant or scared anymore, just slightly confused and curious. He smiled at the boy, letting him know that he was a friend and that he should trust him. 

 

Chan led him up to his room. “Go ahead and sit down, I’ll find you some clothes and then we can talk, alright?” 

 

The boy nodded, then looked up at Chan. “W-wait… aren’t you confused about how I got here? Who I am?”

 

“I am, but that can wait. After you get dressed, we can go downstairs and I can get to know you,” Chan said. “Sound good?”

 

The boy smiled a little bit. “Yeah. You’re so nice… thank you.”

 

“Of course,” Chan said, smiling at him. The boy’s smile widened, and Chan felt relief. He was hoping that the smile meant that he was comfortable here. 

 

The boy seemed to be a little bigger than Chan was, so Chan picked out some clothes that were big on him and handed them to the boy. There was a pair of some comfortable grey sweatpants, a shirt, a hoodie, and a few other things in the pile that he handed the boy. 

 

“I’ll step out while you get dressed. Just come out when you’re done and we’ll go have some breakfast, alright?” Chan said.

 

“Alright,” the boy said. Chan stepped out, closing the door behind him. 

 

The boy came out after a moment, shyly turning to Chan. “Ready.”

 

“What do you want to eat?” Chan asked as they made their way downstairs. Chan stopped in the kitchen, opening the fridge for the boy to look inside. “Pick something out.”

 

“You… you want me to choose? And whatever I want?” he said, lighting up. 

 

Chan smiled, gently ruffling the boy’s hair. “Of course. Whatever you want.”

 

“Bacon! And eggs please,” he said, smiling and practically hopping from foot to foot with excitement. 

 

“Bacon and eggs it is, then. I also have waffles too, if you want some of those,” Chan said, putting the eggs and a pack of bacon on the counter.

 

“What are waffles…?” the boy asked, furrowing his brows.

 

Chan looked at the boy, eyes wide and mouth open a little. “You’ve never had waffles?”

 

The boy retreated a little, lowering his head and his gaze. “S-sorry, no.”

 

Chan softened, putting a hand on his shoulder. “Hey, it’s not bad. I’m just surprised s all. Don’t worry.” 

 

He nodded at Chan, smile returning. “Okay.”

 

“Go ahead and sit at the table while I make food, okay?” Chan said.

 

The boy nodded, picking not a seat at the table but a seat at the island. Chan smiled. “That works too.”

 

“I wanna watch,” the boy said, eyes sparkling. Chan smiled and began to make food, mind racing a million miles an hour as he did. It was weird for him to be this nice to a stranger that showed up in his house, considering that Chan was certain that this person used to be a dog. Was a dog until last night sometime. How did it happen? Who really was this mysterious boy? And why did Chan already feel so emotionally attached to him?

 

Chan was done with the food in no time. He made omelettes with cheese, putting the bacon in the eggs. As he added in the bacon, the boy gave him a curious look but didn’t object. He even seemed to like that Chan added in the cheese. Chan made plates, sat down next to the boy, and tried to find a question that he wanted to ask first. There were so many questions he wanted to be answered.

 

“Do you like the food?” Chan asked. It was simple, something not too intrusive.

 

“Mhmm!” The boy nodded with his mouth full of food. 

 

“I’m glad you like it,” Chan said, chuckling a bit at the boy’s enthusiasm. “I’ll go easy with the questions first. Let’s start with your name. What is it?”

 

The boy swallowed and looked up at Chan from across the island. “My name is Felix. Lee Felix. What’s yours?”

 

“Chan. Bang Chan,” Chan replied. “Some people also call me Chris.” Chan searched for another easy question. 

 

“How old are you?” Chan asked.

 

“I turn nineteen this year. You?”

 

“I turn twenty-two,” Chan said.

 

“We’re not that apart in age, then,” Felix said with a smile.

 

“Do you have any family?” Chan asked as he took a bite of his food.

 

“No…” Felix said, eyes turning sad. “As soon as they found out that I was a freak like this, they threw me out. I haven’t seen them in a little over a year now.”

 

“I’m sorry,” Chan said. “Can I ask why you chose to stay around my house so much when you were uh… in your other… form?”

 

“You were so nice to me…” Felix said quietly. “I tried to convince myself that it was temporary, but after the first week, you kept going and being nice to me… so I decided to let it go on for as long as I could. It was nice to have food every once in a while.”

 

“I’m glad you stayed. You seem like a really nice kid,” Chan said. “Do you have any place to stay, or did you keep coming to me because you… y’know, don’t have one?”

 

“I don’t have anywhere to stay. I haven’t had a place to sleep like that in a really long time. I almost cried last night because it was the first time in months that someone had let me have a place to sleep.”

 

“That’s terrible,” Chan said. “I think I only have two more questions and then I’ll stop. Sound good?”

 

“Okay,” Felix said. “What are they?”

 

“The first one is, I want to know how it works,” Chan said. “Your… transforming thing.”

 

Felix took a deep breath before starting. “I like this area because it doesn’t storm all that often. I switch, involuntarily, when it storms,” Felix explained. “Last night I was so scared and tired that I just wanted out of the rain, so I wasn’t really thinking of the consequences. Thunder also scares me really easily. Next question?”

 

“Give me a second.” Chan looked down at his plate, contemplating. He was always alone here at the house. People would visit, yes, but not stay. He hated it. He hated the deafening silences and prolonged empty feelings he got being here. And no one else would be staying any time soon, so…

 

“Would you maybe… like to stay here?” Chan asked, shyness tinting his voice.

 

Felix gasped a little, looking Chan up and down with wonder. “You… you  _ want _ me… to stay?”

 

“I don’t have anyone else to live with, and I hate being alone. It makes me constantly anxious…” Chan said. “If you’d be okay with it, I’d let you stay here.”

 

Felix began to tear up a little bit. “You… you r-really m-mean it?”

 

Chan stood up and went around the island, stopping in front of Felix. He carefully reached a hand up, resting his palm on Felix’s cheek and letting his thumb wipe away the tears as they fell. “Of course. You seem to be a really sweet kid and you deserve to be treated better. I would be more than happy to take care of you-”

 

Chan was cut off by Felix throwing his arms around his middle. He buried his face into Chan’s chest, with cries of ‘thank you’ being made out. Chan smiled, returning the hug and rubbing Felix’s back. “Don’t thank me. It’s only right that you have someone take care of you. And if it needs to be me, then so be it. I’ll be here for you.”

 

Felix pulled back, looking up at Chan and smiling brighter than the sun itself. “How am I ever going to repay you?”

 

Chan put his hands up. “No, no, no. You are not obligated to repay me in any way, shape, or form. I’m doing this because I  _ want _ to.”

 

“Are you sure?” Felix said. 

 

“Of course!” Chan said, smiling. “I have two spare bedrooms, so you can pick whichever one you want. Tomorrow we’ll go shopping for things you need and anything else you might want.”

 

Felix widened his eyes. “Y-you don’t have to spend money on me! I’m fine with whatever.”

 

“Felix,” Chan said, settling his hands on Felix’s shoulders once again, “I’m doing this because I want to. This is what I want to do. I want to help you out, okay? Let me. Please?”

 

Felix hesitated for a moment, then nodded. “Okay.” Just as quickly as he lit up, he blushed, lowering his head.

 

“What is it?” Chan asked.

 

“Can I… maybe stay with you tonight?” Felix asked, voice barely a whisper.

 

“If it makes you more comfortable, then yes, I’d be more than happy to let you sleep with me tonight,” Chan said, smiling.

 

“Thank you,” Felix said, visibly relaxing.

 

The next few hours were filled with Felix and Chan bonding, getting to know each other, and everything in between. They figured out that they had come from similar areas, they had very similar areas of interest, and strikingly similar personalities. Time had flown so fast that before they knew it, it was eleven at night, the sun long gone.

 

Felix yawned, and Chan smiled. “Sleepy?”

 

“Mhmm,” Felix said, rubbing his eyes. Chan stood up, offering a hand to Felix. Felix took it, and Chan led him upstairs, stopping in front of a door. 

 

“This is the room you’re gonna be staying in tomorrow after we get your things, okay?” Chan said, looking at Felix and smiling.

 

“Okaaaaay,” Felix said, nodding and yawning again cutely. 

 

Chan smiled and led him to his room, and Felix quickly laid down, already seeming at home with his surroundings. It relieved Chan to know that he was settling in quickly. Chan laid behind him, being the big spoon. It didn’t take long for Felix to fall asleep. Chan followed soon after, smiling as he did.

 

Chan was beginning to think that this would be the start of a long friendship.


End file.
